Tales of LostClan
by Gravity-Chan
Summary: Blaze wasn't supposed to survive. How could he, with a disability like his? It was only a slight twist! Why would it matter? Because it made him weak, that's why. And he remembers it all. After a tragedy that nearly cost him his sanity, Blaze is forced into the open again, but this time no one is safe. A firgure from his past have come back for him, and a secret will be revealed.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

A deep gray she-cat made her way quickly and quietly through the undergrowth. She could feel tree branches whipping against her face, but ignored the pain, focusing solely on getting away. She winced as she collar around her neck, studded with dogs' teeth, chafed at her neck. Her belly was swollen with unborn kits, but she could feel her time nearing. Her breath came in short, ragged wisps as she trotted around trees and leapt over bushes along her way. At last she reached her destination; an abandoned fox set, the scent nearly gone. It was the perfect place for her kits to be born.

She fashioned a makeshift nest out of old moss and feathers lying on the inside and prepared for her kits to come. She didn't have to wait long. After a few hours she had five tiny bodies pressed against her belly, fighting for her life-sustaining milk. She purred and her eyes softened as she watched her children suckle. She nosed each one of them, examining them thoroughly for flaws. She knew the rule in BloodClan; any kit born with a deformity would be immediately taken and left to die by the Runner, who was no doubt following her trail. The she-cat had tried her best to mask her scent by avoiding contact with the forest and running through streams to break the trail. She was thinking of these things when she nosed over her last kit; a deep ginger tom.

She felt her heart quicken. The tom-kit's paw was splayed, turned at an odd angle, but it was such a small deformity that the Runner would surely pass it over. Wouldn't she?

Ginger leaped over a fallen tree, landing gracefully on her paws again to continue her run. _Foolish she-cat _she thought to herself as she made her way around a familiar bend in the forest trail. Ginger was the best tracker in the Clan, and her sole duty was to check newborn kits to make sure they were fit to grow in BloodClan. Those who were weak or deformed were taken to a field a while away and left to the scavengers of the air, who normally picked the body apart quickly. Ginger smirked as the trail broke across a stream. It was too easy to track her. Ginger could easily find clues to the she-cat's birthing den. A bit of fur caught on a bramble bush, spots where the she-cat had landed heavily and crushed the grass, pawmarks in the mud at the bottom of a stream, even a set of clawmarks where the she-cat had climbed a tree to get a better view of the forest.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Ginger's paws thudded outside the fox set as she made her way inside. She could almost hear the she-cat's raspy breath, and she could smell the strong milk scent of a mother who had just given birth. She ducked inside the den, smiling a bit cruelly at the new mother and her kits. "Well, well, Fang, so this is where you've gone." Without letting Fang reply, she snapped her foreleg out and scooped the kits towards her. She turned them over, eyes narrowed.

Fang growled and lashed out at Ginger, who stepped nimbly out of the way. Ginger shook her head, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Tisk tisk, Fang. You know the penalties of disturbing a Checking."

Fang growled, but let the she-cat continue.

Ginger pawed the ginger kit over. "A splayed paw?" she meowed. "We can't have that, now, can we?" she bent over and scooped up the kit, ignoring its struggles and mewls of protest.

"Don't take my kit, please!" Fang cried, stepping in front of Ginger. Her eyes were anxious, scared, even, and her eyes flickered form Ginger to the kit in her jaws.

Ginger set the kit down gently. "Now now, Fang, you know the penalties for interfering with a Checking." She paused. "Immediate death to all five of the kits. We wouldn't want that, now, would we?" she narrowed her eyes threateningly.

Fang opened her mouth to retort, but closed it again, defeated. She slunk back to her four remaining kits.

"Good choice." Ginger meowed, picking the kit up once more. She exited the den, pressing her ears back against her head and trying to ignore the wails of Fang, the wails of a mother who's kit had been taken from her. Something about that wail haunted Ginger. Something was wrong. Ginger shook her head softly, ignoring the feeling, and continued on her way. _This kit will be better off dead._


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Blaze arched his back in a luscious stretch. The sun had begun to peek over the tops of the trees in the distance. "Time to go." Blaze meowed to himself. He never stayed in one place for very long. He set out down the hill the bush was on, crossing the moors. The moor grasses provided excellent cover for his bright ginger pelt, and his green eyes blended in with the land around him.

Blaze yawned, trekking across the moor. He could see a forest in the distance. Perhaps that would be the place to start a permanent home. Even thought he was only eight moons old, he was large, strong, and knew how to fend for himself. He remembered that first day when the she-cat with the scent of blood had taken him from his mother, his milk giver, and left him stranded in the middle of nowhere, his eyes and ears still sealed shut. How he felt his powerful muscles beneath his rough tabby coat, and he flicked his long tail back and forth, the white tail-tip twitching.

Blaze approached the forest by the time the sun was high in the sky. He paused to scent the air, then ducked into the cover of the trees. He was amazed by the sights and sounds of the forest; so different form the moors he had lived for his entire life. He could hear the birds in the trees, see the magnificent oak trees stretching their limbs towards the heavens, and he pawed the ground, enjoying the sound of new frost crackling under his paws. Leaf-bare had just passed, and though frost and ice still lay thick on the ground, flowers had already begun to spring up from the frozen grasses and many of the birds had returned from the south.

Blaze began scouting out the area. Once or twice he caught the scent of another cat, but he ignored it, determining that other cats would also have homes and territories in the forest. He could certainly fight off a stray rogue.

Blaze scented the air again, and the hair on his neck and back rose. He could scent cats, and they were close. However, Blaze was no coward, and certainly not a stranger to battle, so he wheeled around and waited for the cats to discover him.

Blaze could feel the scent getting stronger, and suddenly a massive brown tabby was bowling him over, and a ginger she-cat was holding his shoulders down. These cats were so fast! He hadn't expected trained fighters to be out in the forest. Very rarely did he come across those with proper training.

The brown tabby stood over him, eyes narrowed, teeth pulled back in a snarl. Gray streaks decorated his muzzle, and it was clear that both of his attackers were old. "What are you doing on ThunderClan land?" she tom demanded, amber eyes blazing. "Explain yourself!"

Blaze was confused. "ThunderClan?" he meowed. He had never heard of ThunderClan before.

The ginger she-cat snarled in his ear. "Don't be smart with us." She warned, her voice low and raspy. "Trespasser."

Blaze just laid there with a baffled look on his face. The brown tabby tom looked him up and down, then straight into his eyes. Blaze glared back defiantly, determined to at least let this tom knew he wasn't scared of him. Suddenly the tom backed off of him. "Squirrelflight, let him up." He meowed.

Squirrelflight stared at him as if he had just predicted the world was going to end. "But he's a kittypet!" she snarled. "Twoleg scent is all over him." It was true that Blaze had passed through twolegplace for a few days while making his way to the forest, but he certainly wasn't a kittypet.

Bramblestar glared at Squirrelflight. "I am your leader! Let him up!"

Blaze felt the weight of Squirrelflight's paws lift from his shoulders, but anger came off her in waves. "Bramblestar," she meowed. "This cat is a kittypet! He shouldn't be here."

Bramblestar shoved his face towards Squirrelflight's. "You dishonor your past leader by saying that! You dishonor my mentor, and your father. Do you forget that you too have kittypet blood?"

Squirrelflight growled but didn't reply.

Bramblestar's muscles relaxed and he turned back to Blaze. "State your name, kittypet." He commanded.

"Blaze." Blaze meowed back, holding the larger tom's gaze. "And I'm no kittypet. I'm a loner."

Bramblestar nodded thoughtfully, the hostility gone from his gaze. "Very well, Blaze. Since you obviously have no idea what ThunderClan is, I will tell you." He paused. "ThunderClan is a group of cats that I lead that live deep in this forest, in a cavern of rock. We live together, train together, hunt together, and protect each other."

Blaze nodded thoughtfully, not daring to interrupt the tom. He was becoming entranced by the thought of this "Clan".

Bramblestar went on. "We raise our young to a code of the warrior, one that governs our actions and lead up back to our warrior ancestors when we die."

Blaze nodded again. He thought for a moment, then , without thinking, meowed, "I would like to see this 'ThunderClan'."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Bramblestar looked down on Blaze thoughtfully. He was much larger than Blaze was. "And why would you want to do that?" he asked, a bit of reluctance in his voice.

Blaze shrugged. "You've peaked my interest." He meowed casually. "I'm curious."

Bramblestar narrowed his eyes. "Alright, but if you try anything, You'll wish you hadn't asked." His voice had dropped to a low, threatening growl, and Blaze could feel the fur on the back of his neck bristling.

Blaze nodded. "I only wish to look." He meowed, lifting his chin.

Bramblestar nodded. "Very well." He meowed. "Follow me. Squirrelflight, bring up the rear."

Squirrelflight growled. "But Bramblestar…"

Bramblestar whirled on Squirrelflight. "You will do as I say, Squirrelflight. I don't care what he is; I have seen the intentions of his heart."

Blaze was confused. _Intentions of my heart?_ He wondered, but didn't ask.

Squirrelflight growled deep in her throat, but followed Bramblestar's order and took her place behind Blaze.

Bramblestar led the tiny patrol of cats through the woods, weaving expertly through the trees and over fallen trees. He leapt a small stream easily, landing casually on the other side. Blaze tried to copy him, his back feet splashing into the stream and sending a wave of droplets at Squirrelflight.

Squirrelflight hissed as the shower of drops soaked her whiskers, but bounded over the stream after Blaze and Bramblestar.

Bramblestar took a sharp turn around an abandoned fox set, through a patch of dense forest, and paused. Blaze stopped beside him, amazed at what he saw.

Beyond them was a steep drop-off, a cliff, leading down into a deep ravine, certainly carved by Twoleg machines. Below him, dozens of cats milled about, chatting with each other, sharing tongues, and eating at the fresh-kill pile. The opposite wall rose higher than this one, and was lined with boulders so that no cat would fall off. "Wow," Blaze breathed in wonder. "This is ThunderClan?"

Bramblestar nodded proudly. "Yes. Think about for a second, Blaze." He paused. "All these cats, living in harmony with one another. I take it from our previous encounter that you don't meet cats often."

Blaze shook his head.

Bramblestar nodded. "I thought not." He was looking down at a group of kits playing at the base of the cliff. "In ThunderClan, we hunt for the youngest and oldest of our cats first, the kits and Elders, who cannot take care of themselves. They last much longer under the careful care of our warriors. These same warriors are the ones who will someday train those kits to become warriors themselves, and the apprentices work hard to make sure that they can pass your warrior exams with flying color."

Blaze was amazed. He had never seen this many cats living together, and without fighting! It was truly a sight to behold.

Squirrelflight padded forward so that she was standing next to him. "Quite a sight, isn't it?" she murmured in his ear.

Blaze nodded without taking his eyes off the camp.

Squirrelflight smiled a bit. "I have a daughter your age." She murmured. "You kind of remind me of her, in the way that you reacted to the sight of the Clan."

Blaze was about to reply when Bramblestar interrupted them. "You seem like a fine cat." He meowed, looking Blaze in the eye. "Would you like to join ThunderClan?"

Blaze was taken aback by this sudden proposition. _Join them?_ He thought for a moment, then felt a calm steal over him. _Join ThunderClan…_ Without thinking, Blaze nodded.

Bramblestar's eyes sparkled. "Then let's go show you the camp."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Blaze followed Bramblestar down the side of the gorge. Bramblestar led him with a certainty that Blaze did not have, and Blaze tripped constantly over loose tree roots and rocks covered in moss. Squirrelflight took up the rear again, weaving between the trees expertly.

Bramblestar padded around a tall rock, revealing a tunnel lined with brambles. "Through here." He meowed, ducking into the tunnel. It was just large enough for Bramblestar to get through.

Blaze followed him, sitting down to watch as Bramblestar padded up the side of the gorge wall to a small ledge. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" he yowled, his voice ringing throughout the gorge. Blaze watched as the cats stopped chatting with each other and turned their heads to listen to their leader.

Bramblestar's eyes glittered with pride as his Clan assembled. "Today I wish to honor a new member of ThunderClan," he began. "I have seen this young cat perform in battle, and he has the heart and soul of a true warrior." He turned his gave on Blaze. "Blaze, step forward."

Blaze was surprised by this sudden attention, and he could feel all eyes on him as he padded forward.

Bramblestar nodded his head. "Blaze, from this moment until you receive your warrior name…"

Bramblestar was cut off by a shaggy gray tom. "Bramblestar, this cat is a kittypet!" he cried. Murmurs of agreement spread throughout the gathered Clan, but Bramblestar stayed calm.

"Do not forget that my mentor, and your best friend, originated as a kittypet, Graystripe." He meowed, locking his amber eyes on Graystripe's yellow ones. The old tom flicked his ears but said nothing in return.

Bramblestar cleared his throat. "Blaze, from this moment until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Blazepaw." His eyes scanned the clearing, landing on a black she-cat. "Ivypool, you will be Blazepaw's mentor. I trust you will teach him well."

Ivypool stood, a bit shocked, but padded forward, touching her nose to Blazepaw's. Blazepaw resisted the urge to back away from her touch. "Don't worry," she murmured. "The Clan will soon forget that you were not Clan born."

Blazepaw took a step back, thankful to have at least one cat who didn't think him worthless.

The Clan was quickly dispersing, but amongst the cats, a small gray dappled she-cat bounced up to him. "Welcoem to ThunderClan!" she meowed, green eyes gleaming. "Come with me; I'll show you where you'll be sleeping."

Blazepaw followed the she-cat to a small hollowed bush, where three other apprentice were sitting outside.

The she-cat stopped. "StarClan, I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Dapplepaw."

Blazepaw dipped his head to the apprentices.

Dapplepaw sat down next to a small blue-gray she-cat. "This is Streampaw," she meowed, then pointed her tail to a dappled white tom and a pale ginger tabby tom. "That's Pepperpaw and Yarrowpaw." She meowed.

Pepperpaw glared at Blazepaw.

Yarrowpaw pretended to be extremely interested with the grass when Blazepaw turned his way.

Dapplepaw looked around. "Dreampaw should be around here somewhere…" she trailed off.

Streampaw was a delicate-looking blue-gray she-cat, with very faint, barely noticeable darker stripes on her face and back. Her eyes were a brilliant bright yellow color, and her long fluffy tail was wrapped around her petite paws. She looked up at Blazepaw with a shy smile.

Blazepaw turned his gaze to Pepperpaw. He was a large white tom, almost as large as Blazepaw, with brown paws and a brown circle around his left eye. He had brown dapples running down his back to the base of his tail and dark amber eyes.

Yarrowpaw was different, however. He was a pale ginger tabby, with stripes covering his body, but he could see that Yarrowpaw's jaw was broken and twisted at an odd angle, as was his right forepaw. He had a long scar across one eye, and that same eye was glassy and sightless.

Dapplepaw turned back to the crowd. "Well then, let me show you where you'll be sleeping tonight, while it's still daylight." She led Blazepaw into the den, where a tidy little nest had been placed at the right side of the entrance. Blazepaw suddenly felt very tired, and collapsed in the nest, letting out a contented sigh. Dapplepaw giggled and settled down in her nest. Blazepaw could feel their pelts brushing, and he felt strangely at ease as he drifted into sleep.

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	5. Chapter 4

( Sorry this chapter is so short! I promise the next one will be longer. Thanks so much for the reviews! I hope you will continue to support Tales of LostClan c: )

**Chapter Three**

_Blazepaw could feel the wind on his fur as he trudged through the forest. The ground was wet with leaves and the moisture clung to his pelt like cobwebs. He closed his eyes to the coming gusts of air as he struggled to make his way forward. All of a sudden, the wind stopped, and Blazepaw opened his eyes to the forest._

_ In front of him the shadows were being sucked from the ground, morphing into the form of a cat. "You deny your BloodClan nature…" the cat spoke with a voice that seemed to echo in Blazepaw's mind._

_ "BloodClan?" Blazepaw echoed. He had heard of the vicious Clan that lived in the twolegplace, but he had never imagined that he was a part of it. "What do you mean my 'BloodClan nature'?"_

_ The cat let out a deep growl, but did not respond for a long time. "You must give in to your instincts." It boomed at last, and Blazepaw winced at the sudden intensity in the tone of its voice._

_ Blazepaw growled. "What if I don't want too?" he threatened._

_ The shadowy cat narrowed his eyes. "You dare to threaten me?"_

_ Blazepaw took a step forward. "What good is a BloodClan cat in a dream?" he retorted, letting his claws slide out and sink into the marshy ground._

_ The shadowy tom grinned wickedly. A single white paw emerged from the shadows, long claws stained red with blood. "I'm not just a BloodClan cat…" he whispered. With a yowl he flung himself as Blazepaw, fast as lightning, and Blazepaw barely had time to gasp before he felt a tremendous pain in his face and he fell to the ground. He gasped. He couldn't see!_

_ "Let this be a lesson to you." The shadow boomed. "The next time you reckon me, it will be more than your sight you will lose."_

_ Blazepaw felt his vision going blurry, and he closed his eyes against the pain on his face._

-x-

Blazepaw's eyes flew open and he gasped. He was back in his nest. He let out a sigh of relief when suddenly the pain from his dream visited him, and his face flared in pain. He bit back a yowl, shaking all over.

Beside him, Dapplepaw stirred, lifting her head. "Blazepaw, are you al…" her voice faltered and her eyes widened. "Great StarClan, what happened?" she didn't give him time to reply before she was at his shoulder. "Come on, I'll take you to Jayfeather's den."

Still shaking, Blazepaw let himself be guided by Dapplepaw's tail on his shoulders as she led him across the clearing to the medicine den. A gray tabby tom was curled up in his nest, his back to the visitors. Dapplepaw prodded him hard with her paw. "Jayfeather, wake up." She whispered.

Jayfeather groaned and rolled over, annoyed. "It's the middle of the night! What do you want?" his eyes traveled over Blazepaw, up to his face. "Oh my."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four**

Jayfeather prodded the she-cat sleeping in the nest next to his. "Robinpaw, wake up!" he growled.

Robinpaw rolled over, sitting up. "What?" she meowed, then her eyes widened when she saw the blood leaking from Blazepaw's eye.

"Go get the herbs for eye cuts." Jayfeather meowed. "And quickly!"

Robinpaw shot up from her nest and dashed into the medicine store.

Jayfeather padded over to Blazepaw, examining the wound on his eye. Three thin red cuts were visible, blood beading on Blazepaw's eyelid. He turned to Dapplepaw. "Get out, wait outside, go to sleep, whatever, but I need you out of the way."

Dapplepaw looked at him, surprised. "But…"

"Now!" Jayfeather growled. "You'll only get in the way."

Dapplepaw paused for a second, then reluctantly pushed through the bramble screen that sheltered the medicine den, grumbling under her breath as she went.

Blazepaw sighed. "Is it… serious?" he asked quietly.

Jayfeather paused. He looked uncertain, as if he didn't know how to answer. "Your eye is badly damaged. If you can't see now, there's a good chance you won't ever see out of that eye again. It all depends on how the medicine works."

Blazepaw nodded, but inside he was terrified. What would he do with only one eye? Would the Clan still accept him? He was really beginning to like it here.

Robinpaw emerged from the medicine store carrying celandine, marigold and a wad of cobweb. She placed the herbs at Jayfeather's paws and began to chew up the marigold.

"Tip your head back." Jayfeather instructed, picking up the Celandine. "I'm going to drop some celandine juice into your eyes, and it'll sting, but you mustn't blink yet."

Blazepaw nodded, tipping his head back. He winced as the juice hit his damaged eye, making it sting, but he held out, trying his hardest not to blink.

"Okay, now blink." Jayfeather meowed softly.

Blazepaw looked at Jayfeather, blinking a few times to make sure the juice did its work. He sighed as the pain in his eye subsided.

Robinpaw stepped forward, spitting the pulp onto her paw and rubbing it carefully onto the wad of cobweb so that it formed a thin layer. She picked up the cobweb bandage and wrapped it around Blazepaw's head, covering his eye.

"Thanks." Blazepaw muttered, exhaustion clear in his voice.

Jayfeather nodded. "Go back to your nest and get some sleep, then come back tomorrow for a fresh poultice." He instructed.

Blazepaw nodded and padded out of the den. Dapplepaw was sitting nearby, looking at her paws. She looked up as he came out and put on a clearly fake smile. "What did Jayfeather say?" she asked quietly.

Blazepaw sighed. "He said I might never see out of this eye again." He meowed.

Dapplepaw's face fell. "That's terrible." She murmured, pressing herself against Blazepaw's side for comfort. She stood there for a moment, then meowed, "Come on, let's go get some sleep."

Blazepaw let Dapplepaw guide him back to the apprentice's den, her tail over his shoulders to steer him. He padded into the apprentice's den, plopping down in his den. He felt Dapplepaw lay down next to him. He sighed, tucking his nose under his paws, and fell into a light, fitful sleep.


End file.
